Eternal Damnation
by Nia Ashin
Summary: An Ancient returns from the Lifestream and finds herself unable to remember anything... And just what a Turk would do, should they meet?
1. Prologue: Lifestream

**Disclaimer: **I did not create Final Fantasy VII… I did not compose Easier to Run… Thanks for the many great minds who made this story o' mine possible… Easier to Run by Linkin' Park… Final Fantasy VII by Square… Either way… I own this story! Hehehe…

**Author's Note:** Oi! Hehehe… Well, what can I say? It's my first fic… So please… Be kind. Anyway, please review… I'll try to update as soon as I finish the next chapters…

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**ETERNAL DAMNATION**

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**PROLOGUE: LIFESTREAM**

It's easier to run

Replacing this pain with something numb…

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_Where am I? _

Lovely bluish-green eyes squinted. Her vision was dim but she noticed a faint hint of light.

I can't move…

She struggled to move her arms, but they remained limp at her sides. She let out a breath and was surprised to see a bubble issue from out of her mouth.

Water? I can breathe underwater?

She felt heavy and useless, her arms floating unmindfully at her sides. Her long brown hair swayed and bent like the waves.

I am underwater…

She began to shiver, coldness slowly overcoming her body. She became suddenly aware of her surroundings. As she moved her eyes, there was nothing, absolutely nothing around her. The only thing she saw was the iridescent color of something she couldn't determine.

She floated unmindfully for a few moments. She silently tried to gain control of her frozen limbs. As she did, it was like having electricity running through her body.

Another bubble came out…

How long can I keep this up?

She wiggled her lower limbs first, grimacing with sudden pain. And as she did so, she felt something wrong.

Her breathing came in short ragged gasps as she felt her breath leave her.

_No! _Her mind screamed.

She struggled to move her arms.

I have to get out of here!

Her breath was failing…

She began to move. Slowly at first, ignoring the pain coursing through her body.

Ignore the pain… Ignore the pain…

_I have to get out of here…_

_I have to…_

_------------------------------_

**Author's note: **Whaddya think? Oh, can I just tell you that I seriously considered having _'her' _die again? Hehehe… Just kidding… Anyway, I'm now starting on the next chapter so just wait for it! Oh, and for those who thought that they've seen this fic before… Well, it had been posted earlier under a different pen name… But I changed some things about _my_ former pen name and account and some other stuff… Anyway… Till then! Fight o!

And thanks to Rihsa for pointing out that the Ancient's eyes were kind of green… Hehehe… My bad! I apologize…


	2. Chapter 1: Turks

**Disclaimer: **I did not create Final Fantasy VII… I did not compose Easier to Run… Thanks for the many great minds who made this story o' mine possible… Easier to Run by Linkin' Park… Final Fantasy VII by Square… Either way… I own this story! Hehehe…

**Author's Note:** Thanks to **Rihsa** who pointed out that the Aeris' eyes were green and not brown… Hehehe… Sorry about that… Anyway, here's the next chapter…

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**ETERNAL DAMNATION**

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**CHAPTER 1: TURKS**

It's so much easier to go

Than face all this pain here all alone…

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The gunfire echoed through the tunnel.

"Rude! Elena!" he shouted. "Cover me!"

"What the fuck?" Rude snarled. "Don't you dare leave!"

"Reno!" Elena called out but she was already too late. She stared as the tousled-hair Turk sprinted towards the end of the tunnel.

"Damn!" Rude grunted. He sent a wave of bullets at their enemies.

"Damn rats…!" Reno's curse reached their ears.

How right… Elena thought as she reloaded her gun.

What they're up against now, they were not sure. Rufus had asked them to do a job for him again. Clean the rats? A coup? Whatever… All they know is that they're supposed to follow whatever mission they were given.

Reno's footfalls stopped suddenly and the glow on his metal rod died out. He pulled out his gun.

Now… where are you? He thought.

A rustle of movement at his side caught his attention.

Oh no, you don't! He jumped away just in time to avoid a hard bash on the head. A scarred, aged face showed clearly for a second. A man, holding a billy club stepped out from the shadows and proceeded to attack him.

He smirked.

Gunfire.

And then silence.

A body of a man lay dead a few feet away from him.

The sound of someone running behind him caught his attention next. He turned abruptly around, aiming the silver gun at the direction of the sound.

"Hey!" Rude held up a hand. "Hold up! It's us!"

Reno quickly lowered his gun.

"Area's scrubbed," he said simply. "S'up?"

"You---" Elena hissed.

"Aww, honey. You worried about me?"

"Ass-wipe!"

"Hehehe…"

"Reno. Elena," Rude warned.

"Awright!" Reno said. "So, what's up?"

"Area's clean. Southern tunnels cleared," Elena said evenly. She looked at the body on the floor. "Who's that?"

Reno shifted. "Someone…"

"What do you mean someone?"

"It means I don't know," Reno said. "But by the looks of it, we can't really ask him anything. He's already dead."

"But then…"

He looked at the body for a time and then kicked it to its side so that the body faces up. They watched in silence as Reno scooted down and pulled off the vest that the man was wearing.

Rude squinted. Elena uttered a sharp tone of disgust.

C4.

"You see?" Reno prodded the body. "Bomb."

"We know what it is…"

Rude looked back at the tunnel. "Maybe the others had some wired around them too."

"Even if they do, it will not go off," Reno said.

"Why not?" Elena looked surprised.

He pointed at a shiny black thing on the floor beside the dead man.

"A detonator," he said.

"Inter-connected?" Rude asked.

"Yep!"

Elena followed Reno's inspection. "Simulated bombs…" she said. "Clever…"

"But apparently, not very effective," Reno stood up, holding the detonator. "Call in Shinra."

Rude quickly produced his cell phone from out of his Turk uniform. He pressed in Shinra's call number.

"Job's finished," he said. "The marks have been retired."

He fell silent for a few seconds.

"Hm… Uh huh," he glanced at the other two Turks.

"Rufus wants to se us…" Rude said, covering the mouthpiece oh his phone.

"Tell him we'll see him tomorrow," Reno said.

Rude went back to his phone. He nodded. And they heard his series of 'uh huh', 'alright' and 'yes'.

Elena sighed. She looked at the redhead Turk who was toeing the tunnel floor with impatience. It seemed Reno really wanted to get out of here.

"Done," Rude said when he turned to them.

"Good," Reno said. He stretched and started to walk. "The clean-up crew will come, yo?"

Rude nodded.

"When will they arrive?" Elena asked, starting to walk after Reno.

"Seven minutes max," Rude replied.

"What are you going to do with that thing?" Elena pointed at the detonator that Reno was holding. "It may still set off the bombs."

Reno sighed. "Then, hotwire the goddamn thing!" he smirked. "Or… I wouldn't mind setting off some firecrackers. It's been a long while since I last saw fireworks."

"That is an option." Rude nodded.

"Not while I'm here," Elena interjected. "Scratch the idea, you fools."

"Spoilsport!" Reno smirked.

They chose then to collect the bombs from the bodies.

When they finished, they started to walk out of the tunnel. Rude's face was blank and expressionless as ever while Elena's had a look of deep concern. Reno's hands were shoved deeply in his pockets and he walked with his back hunched and his eyes down to the floor. The shiny metal rod glinted at his side.

As they stepped out from the smelly tunnel, they welcomed the open air gratefully.

"Ah! Thank God!" Elena said, breathing deeply.

Reno yawned and stretched again. He looked up at the night sky.

No starts tonight… he thought. Rain?

"Wanna come over?" Reno asked absentmindedly when he reached his car. Rude refused by shaking his head. Reno fumbled with the keys for a moment.

"I'd better do the bomb," Rude said, stretching a hand out to take the detonator from him. "Better me than you, anyway."

Reno smirked at him, as he handed it over.

"Lena?" he turned to the now silent blonde Turk. "Lift?"

Seeing no other option, she nodded. Her car was at an auto shop at the moment, getting a tune-up. It got a little cranky lately.

Reno and Elena heard the steady whir of a motor behind them. They turned to Rude, who was adjusting himself on his motorcycle.

"See you," Rude saluted to the two and then drove off. The whir became a steady hum, until it vanished completely.

"Let's go," Reno said and climbed into the car.

Elena watched Rude's backlight fade into the darkness. Then she heard the car engine come to life. She looked at the only companion she had and saw that he was already inside. She followed him into the car and sat silently as he adjusted his seat.

Not a typical male's car… she thought.

The whole interior was neat, clean and without the stench of stale smoke or beer.

Before they backed from the space, Reno reached inside his uniform and pulled out the silver gun. He threw it over his shoulder and onto the backseat. Funny, he did not remove the rod at his side.

They spent a long time, gazing silently outside the car as they accelerated through the freeway.

"Reno?" Elena started the bit her lip.

"What?" he grunted as he shifted gears. He kept his eyes on the road.

"…What's on your mind?"

"Absolutely nothing."

"Oh… Alright," Elena whispered.

They were silent the rest of the way. They passed the wide metal bridge that connects the uptown and downtown districts of Midgar. They coasted down the dark streets, passing the grim-looking people in the slums and the now close shops. Reno made a sharp right at the near end of the avenue passed a couple of blocks and began to slow down. He made a stop in front of an old but beautiful manor. He cut off the engine and turned to Elena.

She hadn't made a move.

"Come up?" she asked quietly.

"Elena…" Reno said.

She fell silent. Then, "You don't have to say it…" Elena lowered her head. "I already know."

Reno turned away from her. He heard the car door open and then slams close.

"See you tomorrow, Reno," Elena stepped back.

"Yeah," he said. "Tomorrow…"

He waited for her to get inside the house. When he was sure she was safely inside, he started the engine and slowly backed from the street.

So tired…

I feel so sleepy…

It had been a long night…

The silver gun reflected an image at his mirror and caught his eye. His cerulean eyes glinted with silver as he momentarily stared at it.

The gunfire earlier resounded in his head and he jumped in surprise, causing the car to go off lane for a few seconds.

"What now?" he asked himself. "Getting jumpy?"

_You're an assassin, you moron!_

Yeah… Right… And I'm scared of my own gun… Dammit!

He floored the gas pedal and he sped off into the night, the car becoming a blur of black and gray.

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**Author's Notes:**What's with these guys anyway…? You think something's going on between them? And I really think I ought to have let Reno play with that bomb detonator a little more… But then… Hehehe… Remember what happened to the Sector at the start of the game? Well… I really don't want that to happen again. Anyway… Sorry for the short update. I'll be really grateful if you send me a review! Till then, my readers! Fight o!


	3. Chapter 2: Empty

**Disclaimer: **I did not create Final Fantasy VII… I did not compose Easier to Run… Thanks for the many great minds who made this story o' mine possible… Easier to Run by Linkin' Park… Final Fantasy VII by Square… Either way… I own this story! Hehehe…

**Author's Note:** Here's next chapter… Warning: Sharp and crude language ahead… Read at your own risk. Hehehe…

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**ETERNAL DAMNATION**

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**CHAPTER 2: EMPTY **

Something has been taken from deep inside of me

The secret I've kept locked away no one can ever see…

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The old stone house stood a good few kilometers away from the other houses in the street. It was big and old, but it looked like it could withstand another ten good years. Painted in gray and white, the house looked dark and empty.

Reno cut off the engine in front of the house.

Sad… he thought as he gazed up at the lone structure.

He slammed his car door closed and began to walk.

His bright long red hair shimmered in the moonlight as he walked up to his door. He jammed his hand into his pocket and pulled out a single key on a skull key chain. He opened the door swiftly and got inside, leaving behind the cold air of the November night.

Dammit… he wrinkled his nose.

There was the stale smell of liquor hanging around. It made him irritable, really. He crossed the hallway quickly and clicked on the lights.

Stale smell of beer… and sweet, reeking perfume.

Perfume?

What the hell…?

He crossed the hall and got into his living room. His eyes landed on the toppled beer cans and littered ashtray.

Oh fuck… he thought.

He sank on his sofa sloppily and closed his eyes.

Oh god…

The sofa still had the smell of the woman he brought home last night. They had played around and now, the smell of the fucking bitch still hung around.

He cursed.

If there's one thing in his whole damn life he wouldn't do, that is to bring whores into his room.

God, if there is ever a man who considers his room sacred, it's him. He obviously didn't want anything horrible happening to his precious bed, did he? Well… Besides the smell and the sloshes of beer… He wasn't exactly sure how he does when he's drunk…

When he opened his eyes, it landed on the ashtray.

He shook his head.

Dammit… Bitch emptied a whole pack all by herself, he marveled. The woman smoked like she was a furnace.

As he stared at the mess, he can't help but to think about the woman. He remembered that she was a sexy one… Not too pretty, yeah, but passable. She had a front of a fire truck and an ass of hard rock. She was also a screamer; one he didn't like.

He snickered.

He preferred the quiet and sensational but apparently, he couldn't find any. He couldn't understand why screaming was even considered a turn-on.

He must've been too drunk that night.

He stood up, reached for the bottles and made for the trashcan. He wasn't up for a clean, but he didn't want the unclean either. He worked quickly, thinking heavily of rest. When he was almost done, he noticed that the smell improved a great deal.

Finally, he thought.

When he was finished, he turned off the lights in the living room and went for his bedroom. He went straight for the adjoining bathroom and got hid habitual night shower. He stayed there in the cold pelting water until his skin felt raw. His wild tangled hair splayed over his back.

He dressed quickly, wanting nothing more than the warmth and comfort of his bed. He sat on the edge of the bed and like every night, he stared at the pale cream-colored wall where his electromag rod hung. At the table placed near that wall, sat his silver gun.

Turk gun…

How… stupid.

The gun serves as their last option when they got jammed. He remembered using it only a number of times. Times when he really doesn't have an option… He hated the stupid gun. He had Turk training for goodness sake… So why do they have to resolve to using this silver barrel of death?

His head ached.

Later that night, he still couldn't get an answer.

And deciding at last that it would be best, he retreated to his covers… retreated to his cold, dark and lonely world.

* * *

"Miss!" she heard a voice break through her unconsciousness.

She moaned and kept her eyes close.

"Miss!"

What? She opened her eyes and squinted at the blurred image. Who is it anyway?

"Are you alright, miss?" she heard the unmistakable voice of a little boy. When her vision cleared, she looked up to see a little boy looking worriedly back at her. She then noticed that the boy had metal teeth.

Oh? Braces…

"Were you hurt?" asked the little boy.

This was the time she took to see her surroundings. She was at the shore of an unknown beach. Somewhere… she didn't know.

Where the hell was she?

"Where is this?" she voiced.

The boy blinked.

"Earth," he said.

She stared at the kid. Is he serious? She just came out of the unconscious state and she really didn't want to deal with this stuff at the moment. She stood up, shaking herself off from her reverie. It was then that she noticed the weird expression on the little boy's face.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

The little boy turned away and didn't answer.

She frowned at his back.

What's wrong with him? And… when did it become so cold…?

"Mideel," the boy said, his ears turning red.

"What?"

"Mideel," he repeated. "You're in Mideel, miss."

What in the world? She thought. What's his problem? She rubbed her arms to somehow warm herself. It was then that she realized that her arms were bare and she felt no clothing on it.

A horrific thought came across her mind.

Slowly, she lowered her eyes and saw, to her horror, her immaculate body clad in nothing but skin.

She screamed.

Amidst her earth-shattering scream, the boy desperately tried to say something.

"The blanket---" he said. "On the ground, miss!"

She grabbed the article of clothing hastily, although it was not, and wrapped herself with it. She looked around, trying to see if there are any unmannered spectators.

Thankfully, there was none.

Thank goodness…

The boy glanced back with one eye closed.

"Alright now, miss?"

She nodded, also sporting red twin marks in the face.

The boy faced her again. "Should have warned you before. Hehe… Sorry about that…"

She shook her head, as if warding off the embarrassment.

"Where did you say I was again?" she asked.

The boy smiled.

"Mideel… Kind of a beach and fishing paradise… But that was back then."

She nodded.

The boy observed her once again as she took an uncertain glance around.

"You look like you've got no place to stay around here. You foreign?" he asked.

"I'm not… really sure," she answered.

"You know anyone around here?"

She shook her head.

"I see," he scratched his head and kicked at the sand. "How would you like to stay with me and my brother Elyon? I could let you borrow clothes…"

She shook her head again.

"I am sorry," she said. "I haven't any money to pay you…"

"You look like a nice lady," he chirped. "There's no problem. Besides, my brother won't mind…"

Her face flushed.

"Come on!" he said and grabbed her hand.

* * *

"So you're saying you don't know your name?" the boy's brother asked as he looked carefully at the girl in front of him.

Her hands made little nervous moves to pick at the plate of food in front of her. He noted the clean fingernails and the smooth slender fingers.

So clean for a stray… he mused.

"Go on, miss," the boy with the braces coaxed her to eat.

"Drake," the older one said. "Found clothes?"

The braces boy grinned and held out some clothes.

"Found one, El," he said. "It was yours."

He nodded. He looked back at her. Her bright green eyes surprised him when he saw that she was looking back at him.

"Uh…" he grinned goofily and held out his hand. "My name's Elyon and this little rascal here in Drake."

He received a swat on his arm as Drake stuck a tongue out at him. She smiled at him and nodded. She shook his hand.

"So," he said. "You have this kind of---"

"Amnesia," Drake said.

She looked back at them blankly.

"And since you have no where---"

"You can stay here."

"Right," Elyon said. "We'll concede until you're well---"

"And then we'll think about what to do."

"You can stay---"

"In my room."

"Drake," Elyon said, raising his voice a little. "Will you please let me finish?"

"Sorry…" Drake grinned at him sheepishly.

Elyon sighed. He ran a hand through his thick brown hair.

"Well," he said. "We'll have to do something about your clothes, eh?"

She looked at the clothes on the table.

"Those are alright," she said meekly.

Elyon followed her gaze and his heart sank. Sure, his clothes are alright, but they're worn out and old. Will it really be okay?

She stood, gathered the clothes on the table and glanced around the small wooden house.

"Can you please tell me where I can change?" she asked.

"Uh, right there," Elyon pointed to the nearest door on the right. "That is Drake's room, right there."

She nodded gratefully, said her thanks and went inside.

As soon as she was gone, Drake bounded up to Elyon.

"What do you think, El?" Drake asked excitedly.

"About?" the older brother leaned against the table.

"Her?"

"What about her?"

Drake glanced at the closed door.

"She's pretty, eh?" Drake voiced.

"Sure," Elyon answered. "But she doesn't remember anything."

Drake sighed.

"You said you found her where?" Elyon asked.

"At the beach."

"Who was she with?"

"No one, bro…"

"Hmm…" Elyon rubbed hid temples. "Well, we're gonna have to bring her with us to Midgar city next week. No use leaving a drained person around the house anyway."

"El," Drake said uncertainly. "We're gonna have to buy her some clothes. It's not proper for her to walk around in men's clothes."

"Sure," Elyon straightened up and walked to the door leading outside. "I'll get us food, Drake. Watch her. Let her rest. I'll be home before the sun sets," the he headed out.

Behind him, the younger brother nodded and silently waited for her to come out. He still had to show her around the house.

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**Author's notes: **Well… That's it for this chapter… Really sorry if it's so short… Don't worry though. The next ones will be quite longer. Hehehe… Oh, and by the way… Elyon and his brother are my own characters. And for your question, Rihsa… Yes… Tseng is still alive. I just have something else planned for him. Hehehe… He'll appear soon, I promise. Anyway… That's that. Thank you all for reading! Till then!


	4. Chapter 3: Rufus

**Disclaimer: **I did not create Final Fantasy VII… I did not compose Easier to Run… Thanks for the many great minds who made this story o' mine possible… Easier to Run by Linkin' Park… Final Fantasy VII by Square… Either way… I own this story! Hehehe…

**Author's Note:** Thanks for all the people who read my story! The next chapter will focus mainly on Rufus Shinra and what he has to deal with in reviving their corporation. This will give you some light on what the corporation is up to now. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

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**ETERNAL DAMNATION**

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**CHAPTER 3: RUFUS**

Wounds so deep they never show

They never go away

Like moving pictures in my head

For years and years they've played…

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"Did you sleep at all last night, Reno?" Rude asked gruffly.

He looked pitifully at the red-haired Turk leaning against the elevator wall. Rude and Elena had not commented much when he had come slinking in the Shinra main building not in his usual easy gait. But they noticed he was off as soon as they saw the pathetic excuse of a sleepy expression on his face. His electromag rod swayed lazily behind him as he walked up to the other two and said good morning in a low tone.

Reno looked up, swept his hair with one hand nodded.

"About an hour, I think," he answered.

Rude nodded as he watched the redhead stretched his arms.

"This is too much, yo," he said. "Overtime again…" he nodded to the Shinra soldier who saluted them. "We should have a rest day or a free day after we've done work!"

The elevator sounded and they got in.

"They are our bosses, Reno," Elena said quietly.

"No," Reno retorted. "Our boss's our leader."

"We work for them."

"We work for ourselves," Reno snapped.

"What are we then?"

"Guns for hire."

"We still do things for them."

"For money."

"So then," Elena sighed. "Who leads?"

"Tseng," Reno said flatly. "He leads."

Elena quieted down while Rude refused to even look at them. Suppose Tseng is the taboo of the Turks who were left in Shinra. They reached the floor in a moment. Elena was all for welcoming the cool air of Rufus' office and forgetting their little argument inside the elevator. She walked behind Reno and alongside Rude. It was always like that. She knew that Reno had assumed command when Tseng left for another mission and she also knew that Reno had hated every second of it. According to him, it's always easier to follow orders, not give them.

It never occurred to Rude and Elena that it was always hard for him to handle everything on his own every time they have a mission. He was afraid to make decisions that will endanger his team… his only family… if they ever considered themselves as one.

It had been easy when Tseng was around and now that he is gone away on some foreign mission, Reno hated him for leaving them and leaving everything in his damn hands.

Reno headed for the long hall, which leads to where Rufus' office was. It separated the other functional rooms in the huge building and kept the President's office well away from the bustle outside. But it does give off a kind of feeling of deep isolation.

Reno slowed his pace a little as they neared the double doors of the office.

For some reason though, it was not Reno's custom to use the speakerphone outside Rufus' office to let him know that they were already there.

He knocks instead.

They heard a muffled sound and the shuffle of papers.

"Come in," they heard Rufus' voice.

Reno pushed the doors open and walked in unceremoniously. Rude and Elena followed.

Inside, they saw the young blonde President of the Shinra Corporation, sitting on his office chair and currently stacking a thick file inside a folder. He appeared somewhat slack, although there was an evident sign of smirk on his face.

"Rufus," Reno said. He was never one to acknowledge formalities and authorities. Besides, he made it crystal clear years ago that he was under no one, not even Rufus. He had enough of leaderships and disappointments so to speak.

"Your usual self, I see," Rufus smirked.

Reno shrugged.

"You sent for us Rufus?" Elena said.

"Ah," Rufus leaned back on his chair. His ash-blond hair fell over one eye as he surveyed them. He often marveled at the concept as to why his father and the rest of his so-called ancestors hired these Turks to work for them.

They were not the most respectful people but they're an awfully good group of assassins or whatever and they know a lot about the world under.

"You did a good job relieving us of the resistance group," Rufus said, commenting on their mission last night.

Reno snorted.

We weren't cut out for those type of missions anyway… he thought to himself.

"You know it wasn't our job to prevent uprisings…"

"But it is your job to follow orders, right?"

Reno sighed.

"Fine," he said.

Rufus stood and faced the window overlooking the slums. He saw the flurry of movement of the many people below.

"Now," he started. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to give you some bad news."

Rude remained unmoved as Reno cocked his head and Elena looked grave.

"I will not be able to give you the time out you all have been wanting."

Reno shifted his weight on one foot.

"Why's that?" he asked.

Rufus faced them.

"Because I'm going to send you on a mission again."

"What mission?" Reno looked up and saw the change in Rufus' eyes. His usually clear face showed signs of uncertainty. Not at all like the Rufus they knew.

"Reno," Rufus started. "Do you believe in… reaping what you sow?"

Reno stared back at him. They were level now. No boss. No assassin. Just individuals.

Elena shifted uncomfortably.

"I believe only in survival, Rufus," Reno said in a low tone.

"You wouldn't sacrifice yourself…?"

Reno shrugged.

"A pro isn't someone who sacrifices themselves for a job," he said. "That's just a fool."

Rufus laughed, an audible laugh that echoed inside the office.

"You know, hearing someone like you talk like that…" Rufus managed to say when he quieted down. "Those words… took me by surprise."

Like me? Reno thought. Someone like… me?

"What are you trying to say, Rufus?" he asked directly now.

The smile on Rufus' face faltered a little. He ran a hand through his hair.

"The day after tomorrow, I will be meeting a certain group of people who are in search for something that we are keeping dear."

Reno looked at the floor and his hands went instinctively inside his pockets.

"What?" Reno proceeded. "The leftover of Jenova's cells?"

Rufus looked blankly at him before speaking again.

"You may call it that, Reno," Rufus said. "But that is exactly what they wanted. Jenova."

Reno stared a Rufus.

It cannot be… Jenova was destroyed only a year ago by a certain ex-SOLDIER they deemed to be living a quiet life at this time. They found most of what's left intact when Jenova came crashing to the earth. They kept it and hid it away. Hopes of never hearing of it again lay in the deep recesses of Reno's mind that he cannot quite comprehend what Rufus was telling him now.

"How did they know?" he asked.

Rufus sneered.

"I suppose they don't," he said. "They were making guesses on where it is. And where better place to start than where it all began?"

The destructive _I-have-my-own-mind _creation of the deemed genius of Shinra has instilled in the minds if many that Shinra was the sole cause of all the destruction they suffered. Many did not wish to know that it had been the people themselves who had unleashed the world's wrath and engulfed all in a darkening force that had sought to destroy everything.

Shinra has been rebuilt over the year, quite a feat for anyone but Rufus Shinra. But it now stands for restitution and change. It was the least they could do for what the people believed they had caused.

Elena shifted, fixing her steady gaze on Rufus.

"And you want us to---" she began.

"Keep it safe, yeah," Rufus said, brandishing his hand. "More than that, I want you to find out what they want. I want you to find out what they are going to do with Jenova's cells."

"Oh, you want us to watch over Jenova and prevent the others from taking hold of… it?" Elena concluded questioningly.

Rufus nodded.

There was a long and uncomfortable silence after that. Each of them was lost in their own thoughts. The deafening silence was only broken when Reno spoke.

"Would they be…" he said distantly. "…just like the first ones?"

First ones? Rufus thought.

"What do you mean?" he asked, uneasiness seeping in his voice.

"This is not just about getting back Jenova's cells and putting it up for collection, right?" Reno said blankly.

Elena's eyes widened at the realization of what Reno was talking about.

"You're not thinking…" Elena voiced out. "Reunion?"

Rude made a noise that sounded like he got something stuck in his throat.

Rufus rubbed his temple.

"Well, we can't rule that out," he said. "But it will take much more than what Jenova's cells can do, now that Sephiroth is gone."

"You think?" Reno asked. "We never found proof that he is indeed gone… A body? What will a body tell us? Transferring will and power is easy as a snap of the fingers for that guy."

Before any of them made another comment, it was Rude who spoke up.

"There is a power unfathomable than any others," Rude said plainly. "The Ancients are living proof of that."

Reno glanced at Rude. He surprised them with his words. Rude was one person who rarely voice out his thoughts anyway. But he was right though. Ancients had been powerful vessels of an ancient knowledge that, if were given a chance, could have saved the planet from the earlier disaster.

Rufus nodded.

"Reunion or not," he said. "We will have to find out what they want with Jenova."

Silence again.

"I understand," Reno said after a long painstaking moment of silence.

Reno nodded at Rufus and proceeded to go out of the office. Elena and Rude followed suit. There were no more words needed. There was a kind of understanding between all of them anyway.

"Good luck," he looked out his office window, watching the paced movement of the people moving below. He heard the careful closing of his door and he slumped on his chair, soon too lost in his own thoughts.

------------------------------

**Author's Note: **Yay! I've finally finished this chapter! Thanks for holding out for me! I've been so busy with school work lately that I barely found time in finishing this. Anyway, I hope you guys like this chapter. I promise the next will be grand! Hehehe… See you later!


	5. Chapter 4: Wounded

**Disclaimer: **I did not create Final Fantasy VII… I did not compose Easier to Run… Thanks for the many great minds who made this story o' mine possible… Easier to Run by Linkin' Park… Final Fantasy VII by Square… Either way… I own this story! Hehehe…

**Author's Note:** I actually don't have any idea how to start this chapter… Let's just see…

------------------------------

**ETERNAL DAMNATION**

------------------------------

**CHAPTER 4: WOUNDED**

If I could change I would

Take back the pain I would

Retrace every wrong move that I made I would

If I could stand up and take the blame I would

If I could take all the shame to the grave I would

------------------------------

Reno suppressed a cold tremor and adjusted his position. At any rate, he wasn't comfortable. Who would be if one had been lying on his belly, upper body propped on elbows, and looking all day through high-powered binoculars?

He sighed.

But he knew he couldn't complain.

He was trained for this kind of job. He was trained, by skill and by suffering, to endure the seemingly endless hours of waiting and learning how to steady himself, and to cloak his presence from the enemies. He had taken in countless diazephagms to help in steadying his hand with his gun and with his rod.

He had even learned how to hold someone at gunpoint and not feel anything.

To feel anything… He can't do that. That will only endanger his crew and his mission.

Realizing these things, he continued on his watch.

At the moment, no movement can be seen through his binoculars. The open doorway of the abandoned structure remained clear. The people who went in earlier still haven't come out.

He heard a static sound, a radio signal.

He lowered his binoculars, but did not tear his eyes away from the lone structure. He reached for the small radio transmitter in his jacket. He glanced at the radio furtively before raising it to his lips to answer.

"Yo," he said. "I'm here."

A familiar female voice answered him. Elena.

"What's the situation?"

"Still nothing," he said. "They haven't come out yet."

Silence. She seemed to be weighing her next words.

"Are you alright, Reno?" she asked. "You sound like hell…"

He nodded in complete agreement, forgetting for a moment that she can't see him.

"Yeah," he said. "Looks like hell froze over."

"What do you mean?"

"It's snowing," he said simply.

"I think that's normal around here," he heard her chuckle softly.

"Yeah," he said. "Ajit is like the eternal realm of sleet, snow and cold."

Another chuckle at the other end.

"Rude asked if you want to trade places. He's dead tired too, you know. Of listening to endless rambles about chocobos and whatnot.'

Reno smiled.

"So, the bugs are working?" he asked, remembering the listening devices they scattered all over the possible meeting rooms inside the lone structure.

"Like magic…" Elena answered. "I thought they'd never work. But I guess we're just at the border of the dead zone."

"I see…"

"So you want to trade?"

Reno scrunched up his face as he thought about it. Switching places would mean warm blankets and perhaps a mug of hot coffee. Not to mention, a better companion than just a radio and a pair of binoculars. But then, if they move, they would have to look away from the group they're spying on.

"No,' he said finally. "I'll be just fine."

There was silence at the other end of the line.

"Alright," he heard Elena's voice. "Radio, okay?"

He lowered the radio and stared at it for a while before shifting his gaze and watching the building for any sign of whatever. But he found himself staring at lost space because there's nothing really moving out there.

_I do wonder why Rufus wanted us to… _he thought. _Oh, I remember… _

_The Reunion…_

They still weren't clear about it, but they can't rule the idea out. They still haven't found anything to ease their minds off the silver-haired guy's death.

_Sephiroth…_

His hands fisted at his side.

He still hasn't forgotten how they all nearly got killed because of the freak's antics… How the former Shinra had used them all… How Hojoin had used them… And how… how they consented to their ideas.

_Freaking pathetic…_

But, as much as he wanted to change what happened earlier, some things are just completely impossible. Compensations would mean little, he knew. But it's the only way he knew how he could try and forget the past. His past.

He knew he couldn't do anything about what happened. He'll just have to settle for these things if he wanted compensations.

_Like it was our fault anyway… _he thought with sarcasm.

Hours later, he found himself silently cursing himself for not agreeing to the others' suggestion. His frozen limbs could use some heat. Another few minutes and he would be singing carols with Frosty the Snowman.

After a few more painstaking moments, he decided to finally go along with the very inviting idea of switching places.

_Numb…_ he thought sadly as he tapped his nose.

He tore his eyes away from the structure for a while and began to reach for his radio.

"Now where on earth…?"

The wayward radio seemed to be nowhere at his side. He moved to sit in silence and to scan his surroundings. The radio wasn't anywhere near him.

_Where did I place it again? _He thought.

And as if on cue, he heard a static sound coming from somewhere beneath him.

Beneath him?

Oh…

He chuckled lightly as he reached down to pull the radio he had been sitting on.

_Even my butt froze up…_ he thought to himself. But then… wait a minute.

"Static?"

He pressed the button and began to speak.

"Elena," he said, trying hard to prevent his voice from shaking. "Elena, can you hear me?"

He waited for a moment, but Elena didn't radio back. He can't have gone that far from the dead zone, can he?

"What the hell…?" he wrinkled his nose and pressed the button again. "Yo!" he said a little louder. "Are you still there?"

When the answer didn't come, he thought that maybe the dead zone had really caught up to his position, impossible, as that thought may seem. He turned over the radio and checked for the signal.

Faint signal…

Of all the crap to happen… he thought. Maybe he could just pull back a little and try again. But before he could even put the radio down, the static sound cleared and the signal lighted up. He eagerly raised it again and spoke through it.

"Elena," he said again.

There was a few seconds of silence before a faint voice sounded.

"Reno…" a weakened voice cracked through the radio.

Reno frowned at the sound of the voice. It sounded like Elena, but he didn't exactly recognize that weak tone. She had called his name differently… Like there was something wrong.

"Elena?" Reno said in an urgent tone now. A feeling of uneasiness seeped through his already frozen limbs. "What's going on there? And why the hell do you sound so weird?"

There was no reply.

Reno felt the biting cold against his face now.

"Yo! Answer me, will you!" he demanded.

Then he heard it again.

"Reno…"

He was sure that it had been Elena's voice. He was about to tell her off when she spoke again.

"Reno," he heard her rasp through the radio. "Run… Now… Go now…"

Just then, he heard the unmistakable sound of a gunshot and Elena's scream of pain.

Reno's eyes widened at the sound.

Then the line went dead.

He sat there frozen on the snowy whiteness for a few seconds. The sound of the gun being fired and the scream echoed in his head and he found that he cannot move.

Only when realization hit him hard that warmth rushed into his system and he all but scrambled to get up.

_What the fuck happened? _

_Who fired?_

_Elena was hurt._

_And where the hell was Rude?_

Was he shot too? 

_No… That can't be. That's not it._

_Just what the hell happened back there?_

He thought wildly as he sprinted back to the cabin where he had left his other Turk members.

* * *

The small abandoned cabin they were in provided them some sort of incomplete protection from the cold and from their enemies. That is if they could really count the ones they were watching as their enemies. Rude and Elena had chosen to station themselves in a distance farther than what they actually liked due to the fact that there was not a secure house or anything that they could set up the equipment they needed for surveillance. It was Reno who had decided that it was a good place should any emergency happen. Besides, he had said that he was the one who's going out to span the area, not them and that they should be well out of sight from the others.

Elena reached for her cup of coffee carefully, not taking her eyes away from the monitor in front of her. The numbers on the temperature screen changed by the minute and she was afraid that more of the drop in temperature will soon cut off their signal.

Rude was just behind her, all the same, listening to the transmitter and getting tired from the talk he was hearing. Although he hasn't said anything about it, she was quite sure that he is a bit irritated at the fact that after hours of listening to the conversation inside the old structure, he still hadn't heard any useful information about Jenova or anything else that might be of help to their mission.

"This is something…" she heard Rude whisper.

Elena glanced at the other Turk.

"What is it?" she asked. "Anything?"

Rude kept quiet for a moment as he listened to the conversation intently. Elena held her breath as he watched him. She really hoped that this is something useful.

Finally, Rude smirked.

"Elena," he said. "You remember what number I placed for the Chocobo Race?"

"Eh?" Elena frowned. "What…?"

"My bet," he said simply.

"Uh… Two?" Elena said.

"Then I win," Rude announced.

Elena could only smack herself on the head.

These guys are really impossible… she thought as she fixed her thoughts on the screen in front of her.

She had asked Reno earlier if he had wanted to trade places since she knew that he could be freezing out there and Rude had been so tired of all the yakking on the transmitter, but to no avail.

_Such bullheaded and strange men._

She hadn't received any messages from Reno for the past few hours now and she was sure that if the guy hadn't already frozen up, he could as well be making a move on his own again.

She really wished that that wasn't the case. Because if ever that was the case, she would have things to tell the redheaded Turk.

At that thought, she quickly reached for the radio beside her.

_I'll have to check on him anyhow…_ she thought as she pressed the button.

"Eh?" she said in surprise when she saw that the light indicating the signal had gone out.

"No signal?" Rude said behind her.

She sighed and then turned to face the other occupant of the room. She saw that he had already stood up and moved away from the device he was listening to. She shook her head at him and he just crossed his arms.

"Mine's out too, Lena," he yawned.

"What now?" she asked no one in particular. "And what about Reno?"

Rude shrugged.

"He'll be just fine," he said.

Elena sighed deeply.

"I don't think there's anyone important in there anyway," Rude stated.

Elena looked at him carefully.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

Rude shrugged.

"I think the ones in there are just thugs or somethin'," he said. "No one's talking about anything important."

Well, there's no helping their situation at this rate… Elena thought. They would just have to wait until the signal returns. She settled back on her chair and waited for the blinking red light on her screen to turn green.

_Green means signal…_ she thought. Please change soon…

After a few cups of coffee and a few switches to watch over the computer screen, Elena started to get really worried. She felt uneasy about something, but she can't pinpoint exactly what it is. She felt a chill ran on her spine as she pushed herself up from her chair.

"Rude," she voiced.

Rude uttered a grunt in reply.

"I don't feel too comfortable," Elena said. "Maybe we should…"

Rude stood from his seat and face the other Turk.

"Something wrong, Elena?" he asked.

Elena shook her head in return.

"I just don't feel…" her voice failed.

"What?"

"There's something not quite right," she said. "I feel… eyes on us."

Rude stood up slowly.

He stared at Elena for a moment before leaving his place in front of the screen to look out the small window. He wasn't sure of anything yet, but he, too, could feel something was amiss.

"Anything from Reno yet?" he asked.

Elena shook her head.

"No," she voiced. "Nothing."

She moved to stand up but a swift signal from Rude said that she remain still.

"What?" Elena whispered.

Rude did not reply. Sensing a warning in the air, she moved her hand inside her suit to check on her gun.

_Check,_ she thought.

She wondered what on earth is Rude looking at out there, but she can't voice out the question, as the former was slowly moving to pull out his own gun.

"Lena," he said sharply. "Something's moving out there."

Elena's eyes darted towards the direction of the window. Maybe it's…

"And it's definitely not Reno," Rude seemed to have read her exact thoughts.

_All right…_ she thought. _Scratch that._

Before she can move to stand, a deafening explosion blasted their door away. From the corner of her eye, she saw Rude moved behind the cabinet door. She quickly dove under the working table and whipped out her gun.

_Damn… _she thought.

A rally of gunshots tore through the cabin and all they could do was to hide behind secure places. They really couldn't see who were shooting at them and they weren't sure of their number. They could only wait for them to stop.

Rude was signaling to Elena cover him as he moved to secure the door. And when the shooting stopped, she sent her own wave of bullets through the open door. Rude quickly moved towards the door as Elena placed herself near the window. The darkness outside prevented her from seeing anything, but she continued to shoot, hoping that somehow she'll be able to hit someone and know where they are.

She saw Rude pull a crystal from his jacket pocket.

_Materia… _she thought.

At that, she knew what's on his mind. Rude nodded to her as he sent thunder magic on the ground outside. A kind of light emanated from the volley of thunder and Elena was able to see about three or four of them hidden behind some crates and behind a nearby cabin. And being the sharpshooter that she is, she was able to successfully send them all to the ground.

A cry sounded as she managed to hit one squarely from his position. She gave Rude a thumbs-up sign. Rude just nodded.

She dove under the window when she heard the clip of her gun sound empty. Rude rolled away in time to avoid another wave of gunshots.

_Just how many of them are out there…? _She thought irritably. She blew away whips of hair from her face and reloaded her gun.

Bits and pieces of wood flew all around them as the enemies blasted away. The computer and their checking devices lay useless and destroyed all over the place.

"God damn it…" Elena whispered.

She stood up and took her turn in shooting outside. She saw Rude do the same. She was about to turn her attention back outside the window when she noticed something bright and red on Rude's jacket.

_Sniper… _she thought wildly.

"Rude!" she shouted. "Get down!"

Rude looked at her for a second before coming to realize what she was shouting about. He moved to hide behind the door.

But it was too late.

She watched as the bullet hit Rude at the shoulder and then at his right arm. His gun arm. Blood rushed out from his mouth. But before he fell down, he let out a volley of gunshots outside.

"Rude!"

She crawled towards him, holding her head between her arms as gunshots ripped through the air. When she reached him, she saw that the bullet had penetrated deep.

"Rude," she whispered to him.

She saw his face contort with pain. He covered his wound with the hand not holding his gun and tried to sit up. But Elena prevented him to do so.

"No," she said firmly. "You'll make it worse. Just stay still."

"But, Elena," he said. "We're outnumbered. You can't ward them off all alone."

_Good point… _Elena thought. _But still…_

"But you've lost so much blood already," she said trying to sound reasonable. And indeed, what she said was true.

Rude, refusing to listen to Elena's protests tore a part of his jacket and held out the piece of torn cloth to her.

"Tie it," Rude commanded.

Elena frowned at Rude, but she obeyed, tying the stray cloth securely to stop the wound from bleeding further.

"Thanks…" Rude grunted, then he prepared himself to stand up.

Elena moved to the other side of the door and nodded to him. Then the two of them continued to exchange shots with those outside.

_Where the hell is the hothead when you need him…? _Elena thought desperately when she remembered Reno.

_Wait… _she held her breath. _Was Reno being attacked too…?_

She dropped to the ground when she ran out of bullets and started to reload her gun. She looked at Rude for a second. He looked like he was having a hard time holding out, with his wounds aching.

Just as she was about to stand up and return fire, she heard a loud clunk of something hard on the floor. She looked around for that something. Only when she saw what it was that she was suddenly filled with dread.

_A grenade…_ her thoughts screamed at her.

"Rude!" she shouted.

She only had a second to run from her place and cover her partner when the grenade suddenly blew. The loud explosion sent the two of them flying across the small room, along with large chunks of wood and glass.

The pain, searing and sudden, permeated Elena's body as she managed to stay conscious after the blow.

_Oh God… _she felt the searing pain course through her body when she tried to move. Blood, she felt it, warm and thick, on her skin. She felt it making a river down her sides.

_I'm still alive…? _

She let out a small cry of pain.

_Rude… _she thought, craning her head to look around for her partner.

He was lying on his back, eyes closed and bleeding.

_He's not dead, is he? _She tried desperately to move towards him, but made no progress. She felt like her body was broken all over.

Blood flowed out in small rivulets as she moved, but she didn't give a hoot about it. All she cared for at the moment was to know if Rude was alive or not.

But a sound, akin to a footstep, caught her attention. Through her blurred vision, she peered through the clearing fog. She fixed her eyes to the direction of the door.

_Someone's coming… _

She braced herself and moved to find her gun.

_Whoever's going to walk inside the blasted cabin would face death by her hand… _she thought.

She was thankful enough to find that her didn't hurt as much as her other body parts did and that the gun was only a few inches away from her. She reached for it and tried to hold it firmly. She struggled to move up to position herself on her knees and pointed the gun at the door. Her hand was shaking vehemently, but she refused to give in to the pain.

Show yourselves, you freaking bastards… 

She took a glance at the unmoving figure a few feet away from her. The soot, dust and fresh blood covered Rude at all sides.

"Rude," she called.

No answer.

"Rude!"

Still no answer. The guy stayed unconscious. And she grew worried.

The footsteps came in closer now and she fixed her focused on the door once again. The gun shook slightly, but she tightened her grip on it, causing a considerable amount of pain on her hand.

She'd have to make stand right then and there, she knew. She'd have to make sure that she'll be able to finish some of them before they finish her. Whoever they are. They are going down.

She steeled herself for the second when the one took a step inside.

She had expected, for completely obvious reasons that whoever was coming is equipped with a gun too. She had also expected that whoever was coming is not going to give a hoot whether she should be killed or not. She'd have to score lucky first, if she wants to live.

But what she didn't expect was her inability to shoot when she finally had a clear view of who was walking towards her. She just knelt there, hands shaking violently and eyes widening by each passing second. Her outstretched hand seemed to have been frozen in the air for what seemed like an eternity and she found that she couldn't breathe. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out since her mind really cannot process anything. And when the man stopped right in front of her, everything stood still for a moment before she found her voice again.

"…T…Tseng?" she let out a shaky whisper.

The shock was evident on her face as she looked on what seemed like an illusion in front of her.

The sleek black hair… the clear sharp eyes… the high nose…

"Tseng…?" she repeated the name like it was some sort of saving mantra. She slowly lowered her gun.

The man who was their former leader stared at her momentarily before moving a hand to pull something out from within his pocket. He gave her no answer. He just moved silently.

A radio?

No. A black cell phone.

Elena's shaking hand came to rest upon her knees and her head dropped a little. She felt for the wound on her side and discovered that her situation had been way past emergency room now. She needed treatment. And she needs it now. Her head felt light for a moment, but refusing to pass out, she tried to look up and see her former leader once again.

"Tseng," she rasped. "We… we need help. Rude… Rude's been hit. And Reno"

"Yes, sir," the sharp voice of Tseng cut through her words. "We found them here as you expected. We've eradicated their hole and we're just about to get ready to get them to you."

Elena eyes widened in surprise.

_What…? _Her mind screamed at her. _What the hell is he talking about…? Eradicated their hole…?_

"Tseng?" she said in a weak voice. "Can you please listen to me? Help me. Help Rude. We're working on some case here when some guys tried to kill us. We were outnumbered. Please, you have to help us."

Tseng just stared unaffectedly at her, still listening to whoever was talking to him on the phone.

"Tseng," Elena continued, holding the wound on her side and pointing outside. "Reno… He's still out there. I don't know what happened to him. Maybe he was attacked too. Please, you have to help us."

Tseng on the other hand, continued to stare at her limp form on the floor. Or what was left of it, really.

"Yes, sir," Tseng said. "There are two of them here. Yes? One's down. One's still conscious. What's that?"

Confusion blocked all other thoughts in Elena's head. Questions, rivers of it, ran through her head and she didn't know what to actually think about first.

What in the world is their former leader doing there when they were told that he was doing some high priority case somewhere far? Does he know anything about their mission? And what the hell did he mean by _eradicated their hole_? What are they, rats? And why is he just standing there not helping her?

"I see," she heard Tseng speak again. "No problem, sir. We've already sent out a party for the other one. We'll make sure they never leave this place alive."

The chilling words registered in Elena's half-asleep brain. The pain from the blow had doubled, tripled over the passing minute. But still, she was quick to action and she rose up her gun again and pointed it at the man standing right in front of her.

Tseng slowly hung up the phone. There was an amused smile on her former leader's face when he saw the gun pointed at him.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea, Elena," he said slowly.

"Who are you?" Elena fired a strong question.

Tseng didn't answer.

"Put the gun down, Elena?" Tseng said.

"Who are you?!" Elena shouted. "And where is Reno?!"

Tseng acted as though he didn't hear anything. He shook his head and stepped closer.

"I don't have to answer your question," Tseng returned. "And I don't really want to make this worse than it already is."

"You sick bastard!" Elena moved to stand up, but found she couldn't. She tried to move her legs, but she found that she had lost control of them already.

"Elena," Tseng just watched her carefully.

Elena tried to back away from the figure in front of her. With much difficulty, she managed to move away a little from him.

"Who are you?" Elena repeated her question.

Tseng sighed.

"I can't answer that," he said.

"Then would you answer this instead?" Elena moved her other free arm to support her weight as she sat keeled over the floor. "When you said _eradicated, _did you mean us?"

Tseng nodded to her unblinking.

"You are part of who did this?"

Again, Tseng nodded.

"You had us shot down?"

A nod.

"You knew we were here?"

Tseng let out a small smile.

"Right before you came here, yeah," he said.

Elena couldn't believe what she was hearing. She couldn't believe she was actually hearing the leader she knew, who kept his men first before anything else, say that he was the one who had planned to kill them. Elena's eyes suddenly felt tired. She felt her eyes well up and felt the warm tears ran down the side of her face. She shook her head.

"Where's Reno?" she asked.

"I don't know," Tseng said nonchalantly. "Fighting his own battle, I guess."

Elena's tears fell faster now. Along with the blood that poured out from the small cuts on her face.

"Who told you to do this?" she continued to ask.

"You know I can't tell you that," Tseng said.

"Was it Rufus…?" she choked out.

_No. That's Impossible… _she thought. _Rufus was the one who ordered us here. He wouldn't… would he…?_

Her fears were assured when Tseng shook his head no.

"Who's your boss?" she asked.

Tseng shook his head at her.

"Who's your boss?!" she shouted again. "And why did he want us dead?!"

Elena's hand shook violently. She wasn't sure if she could actually fire a gun, given her current situation, but she held her ground. She wasn't about to crap out on the jerk she came to know as her former leader. She fixed her gaze solidly into his and she found the strength to support her feet once more and she was able to stand up. She may have wobbled a bit, but she held out.

"Why did you do this, Tseng?" she asked, almost pleaded to know. "Why to us? Who told you to do so?"

Tseng didn't answer her this time.

"Whom are you working for, Tseng?" she asked. "And why did you leave us?"

Instead of answering, Tseng reached inside his jacket and pulled out his silver Turk gun. There was a light of regret in his eyes for a moment when he looked into Elena's eyes. But she didn't happen to notice it as she had fixed her gaze on the gun on his hand.

He then, raised it up and pointed it at her.

"As I said," Tseng said in a low voice. "I will never let you leave this place alive."

Tseng released the safety of the gun.

A sob racked through Elena's body. She didn't know how long she got till she passes out. And it looks like she wasn't going to find out anyway.

What happened to you, Tseng…? 

It was all she thought when she squeezed her eyes shut. She could always pull the trigger and kill him first. But she had not the willingness to do it.

The suddenly, a voice, a voice she never expected to hear for salvation, spoke out.

"Elena?" 

The voice came from somewhere near her foot.

The radio? 

Elena looked down and so did Tseng. They saw the small, black radio lying on the floor a few inches away from Elena's feet.

"Elena, can you hear me?" 

_Reno… _Elena thought with relief.

Elena looked at Tseng. He just stared back at her.

"Looks like he's still out there…" Tseng said.

"_Yo!"_ the voice came a little louder. _"Are you still there?"_

She stared at back at Tseng who shrugged at her in return. Slowly, she moved to get the radio on the floor. She fumbled a little because she chose not to take her eyes away from the man who was stolidly pointing a gun at her head.

"_Elena." _

She waited for a moment when she finally got the radio on her hand. She raised it to her lips and waited for a few more seconds. When she was sure that Tseng wasn't going to do anything, she pressed the button and began to speak.

"Reno…" a weakened voice, recognizable as hers came and was transmitted.

_"Elena?"_ Urgency was in Reno's voice, they heard. _"What's going on there? And why the hell do you sound so weird?"_

She didn't reply. She couldn't reply.

How was she supposed to say who attacked them anyway? When even she couldn't believe it…?

A trickled of blood drop from her hand. She hadn't realized she was gripping the radio so hard that she didn't notice how the edges of it created fresh cuts.

_"Yo! Answer me, will you!"_

At that, Elena raised the radio to her lips once more and took a deep breath.

"Reno…" she said.

She wasn't sure if she wanted to do this. But she couldn't let another partner get hurt. She would have to buy sometime for Reno or they'll both die. She'd have to warn him or they'll both die. She'd have to sacrifice… or they'll both die.

"Reno," she said in small voice. "Run… Now… Go now…"

Just then, she felt the sudden pain on her shoulder.

Elena fell to the floor in a heap, the radio and the gun still clutched tightly in her hands. She couldn't quite remember if she screamed or whatever. All she knew is that she didn't anything to stop Tseng. The pain, numbing and unforgiving, seeped through her body now. She managed to stay conscious for a few painstaking seconds to take one last look at the man who had just shot her to her death.

_Tseng…_

She didn't mind. She knew she can't really do anything. She didn't really imagine that it would be Tseng who would end her life anyway. But then he was the one who always said to expect the unexpected. She didn't mind. Because as crazy as it may seem, she had always favored the thought of being killed by someone she knew. She didn't mind. She didn't mind… if it meant Reno could live to hunt down the asshole that did this to them.

* * *

Reno never knew just how fast he could run till now. It just felt like he was moving through a blur. He had clear directions of where he was going, he knew. But all throughout the run, he couldn't see where he was going. It just seemed like the world around him is pushing him from all sides that he couldn't breathe and see.

He just ran.

Elena… Rude… 

The names ran through his head too.

_What had happened?_

When he heard the gunshot and scream earlier, it seemed all rational thoughts left his system, and all he could ever think of doing is getting back where he had left his group members. They had been discovered, of that he was sure. He could only hope that his other members were alive and holding up. Or else…

Well, he refused to give that thought a room. He couldn't think like that, could he?

It would be pointless. Completely pointless.

But when he finally came to see what's left of the cabin…

_Fuck…_

That's all he could think as he raced towards the crumbling structure. What he had imagined earlier couldn't even compare as to what he was seeing. The cabin looked like it was bombed open, its walls were charred and the hinges were smoked. The crates beside the cabin were pulverized and the glass from the front windows lay shattered everywhere.

"Elena!" he called. "Rude!"

He skidded to a stop when he came through the door. His thoughts turned from bad to worse as he surveyed the damage inside. Everything was in shambles. And some of the furniture was still smoking too.

"Elena!" he called. "Where are you?"

There was no answer.

_Where…?_

He felt weak in the knees as he moved about through the room, looking for whatever may be of Elena's or Rude's. The computer they brought, he saw, lay in about a thousand pieces and the furniture were completely unrecognizable.

_Not good…_

What he saw next wasn't what he expected either.

_Elena…?_

He half-ran, half-walked towards the bloody figure that lay quite a distance from the door and window. He couldn't even come to surmise what happened to her when he came to see that it was indeed his blonde partner.

He knelt beside Elena's form and saw the numerous wounds on her body. The cuts and the gunshot wounds on her left arm, her leg and her shoulder. The worst of them seemed to be the one on her shoulder.

_What in the…?_

_She seemed to have been fighting to her last breath… _he thought as he reached out to take her hand and saw the silver Turk gun in it. His hand shook with some unknown emotion and he found it hard to breathe. On her other hand, he saw, the black radio, which she had used earlier to warm him off.

_Run… Go… Now…_

_That's what she said, right? _

Anger or something like it began to form inside him.

_You idiot… _he thought bitterly as he looked at her face. _What a complete idiot… _

"You could've just blasted the ass instead of warning me," he said bitterly.

He was sure of what he thought had happened. He was sure as hell that Elena had chosen to use the radio instead of the gun. And he was sure as hell of his anger right now.

Not anger at the woman who had idiotically tried to save him.

But at himself. Because he left them on their own. Because… he wasn't there… with them.

He stared at her face for a moment.

_Sure got a smug look… _Reno thought as he surveyed her bloody but calm face.

But then…

"Why, Elena?"

His grip tightened on the hand he held. He wanted to shout in anger. He really wanted to tell her off. But he couldn't find the strength to do it. He slowly let go of her hand and stood. He had to find the other Turk too. And when he did, he was only grieved to find that Rude had suffered the same feat as Elena.

_Double fuck… _he wanted to bash something at the moment.

Gunshot wounds… Cuts… And blood. They all swam before him that he felt dizzy. The coldness of the region seemed to go unnoticed now. All because it was nothing compared to the coldness the redheaded Turk was experiencing at the moment. He looked from Rude to Elena then back again and his breath caught up in his throat.

_Rude… Elena…_

Just as he was about to go off punching what was left of the wall in front of him, a cough, a recognizable one, sounded off. At that, he abruptly turned around and stared at the figure that was Elena.

His eyed widened.

_She's alive…? _

He raced back to her side and gathered her in his arms. He felt for her pulse. Fresh blood was issuing from her mouth and he was sure that it came when she had coughed out.

_Weak… _he thought as he wiped the blood of her face with his hand. _But fighting…_

A nervous smile graced his darkened features when Elena's hand twitched. Her chest began to rise slowly.

_That's good… _he thought.

"Elena?" he said. "Can you hear me?"

He didn't expect her to answer, but he found her breathing was more of an answer than anything.

"Breathe, okay?" he said nervously. "Stay with me."

He kept a secure arm around her limp body as he shrugged off his jacket. He carefully put it on her and checked for her pulse again. It grew steady.

He felt a wave of relief rush over his system.

He glanced at the other Turk, who was still lying unconscious on the floor.

_I trust you're still alive too… _and at that, a plan formed in his head.

"I'll get the two of you outta here," he said determinedly and stood. He first got to Rude and checked whether he can pull the big guy out of the crumbling cabin without doing further damage to his already damaged partner. He had a hard time pulling the body out of the cabin and once outside, he had to leave Rude just near the door to check around the cabin for the van they used to get there. He was thankful enough to see that it suffered minor damage. Just a few dents here and there. Nothing wrong really. Nothing a mechanic can't repair. The tires weren't shot or anything, so he didn't have to worry about it getting flat. The only window that was hit was the back window.

He smiled.

_I have a hard time looking through the rearview mirror because of the stupid window anyway…_

He got back to Rude and dragged his body all the way to the van. As Rude was bigger and bulkier than him, he had an extremely hard time trying to lift him up to get him inside.

"Come on, Rude," sweat ran down his forehead as he lifted the torso up. "Work with me, man."

After successfully putting the bald Turk inside the van, he had to lean on the side of it to catch his breath.

_You are so going to pay for this…_

After a few seconds, he began to race back to get Elena. He squatted down next to her and prepared to carry her when he noticed something odd. Something shiny and solid and silver at Elena's side.

_What's this…?_

He reached out and took another silver gun lying near the blonde Turk.

"Whose gun?" he stared at it for a moment.

_Rude's? _

No way. Rude was holding his too when Reno checked him. And he was sure he had checked and put it in the other Turk's holster when he carried him outside. And Elena was still holding hers.

_A Turk gun… _he was sure of it. He turned it over and checked it. Yes, it is a Turk gun. But then, they all have theirs, don't they?

_So whose…? _A certain black-haired senior entered his mind. _No, that's impossible… _Tseng's not anywhere near at the moment. He's on a mission abroad.

_But then… _

His thoughts were abruptly cut off when he saw the Elena's breathing became uneven and her body shook horribly.

"Elena?!" he called to her. "Yo!"

No go. She was really shaking bad. A convulsion…?

Choosing to put aside his thoughts about the gun, he grabbed it and stuck it on his side and moved to gather the visibly shaking woman in his arms. He moved quickly to get her outside of the house and into the van. Once there, he had to carefully put her in the passenger seat in front and secure her with the seat belt as he had done so with Rude at the back. The belt didn't seem to offer enough support, but it would have to do. He can't really find anything useful to wrap around her at the moment.

_Hospital… _he thought. _I've got to get them to the hospital._

After securing Elena, he raced to the other side of the van.

"We're getting outta here," he said to himself.

But as he was about to get in the driver's seat, the sound of gunfire stopped him. A neat little hole, just a few inches away from him, appeared on the side of the van.

_Oh, fuckity fuck… _his head screamed. _That nearly got me!_

He should have known the blokes wanted him too. That's why Elena warned him, right? He angrily threw himself onto the ground and rolled away from the van.

_No use getting our ride all bombed out too… _he thought as he hid himself at the side of the cabin. He pulled at his own gun and waited for a few moments. As it was dark and dreary, he was at a complete disadvantage at his position. No doubt his enemies had been watching him carefully earlier and knew just where he was already. But he knew he can't just give up.

He exchanged a few rounds with the darkness, which covered him. It was nigh time when he realized he was being buried alive.

_Think! There's gotta be a way to see these cowards…_

He moved to reload his gun, but stopped when his eyes hit the van. Then, surprising as it may be, he smirked.

_Why not…?_

Seconds later, a sound of an engine coming to life was heard and from the back of the cabin, the van roared out. By its light, Reno was able to see the men who were shooting at him. He clenched his teeth and got the van into gear and headed straight for where they were.

"Get a load of this, you assholes!" he shouted as he drove right at them.

He might have hit them, but he didn't give a damn. He felt them, alright. But who cares? They had his men shot down! All he cared about anyway, was getting out of there. He had to take his Turk members to a nearby hospital. And he'd ram down anyone who even tries to stand and stop them.

"What now, huh?!"

A rally of gunshots was fired at their direction, but Reno drove relentlessly, moving through as many obstacles at he could. Crates… Guns… Even men. When he reached the road, he switch gears and accelerated the van down the road, leaving those who had ducked in time firing at them.

_God… _he thought as he looked over Rude and Elena as he traversed down the sleek road, still hearing the guns being fired at them. _What a fucking stake out…_

His grip on the wheel tightened and his eyes narrowed.

_Somebody's going to get burned… _he thought angrily as he floored the gas pedal and the van became a blur on the road.

_I'll make sure of it…_

------------------------------

**Author's Note: **Yay! I'm back! Hello everyone! Just got a break from school… Whoo! I got all excited to get to writing my fic once gain… Anyway, everyone… Meet Tseng! I've been thinking of how and when to put him into the story and I decided that this is the best part for him. And oh, everyone knows he's an essentially good guy… He is, in fact. I just wanted to change him a bit on this one. And oh, Rihsa, I know you love Tseng. I love him too. Hehehe… And I promise to work on his wayward act here. Don't worry. If he's a good guy, I'll make him one… Ahem! Anyway… I'm just glad to be back here… I appreciate reviews, but if you're not the type to give them… Well… That's okay! I just hope you like what I wrote… Ehehe… Thanks for reading! Ja ne!


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